1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to apparatus for playing games of chance, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for allowing a number of players to participate simultaneously in a tournament using a plurality of gaming terminals networked together and under control of a master terminal.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Slot tournaments are a popular slot merchandising practice in casinos. A slot tournament is a group function wherein a player pays a set amount of money to join the tournament, and his entry fee goes into a pot which is paid out to the tournament winner or winners, less the house percentage. The machines used for the tournament are specially configured machines that, upon the issuance of a "start" command by a game controller, allow the players to play as fast as they can without requiring that coins be put into the machines. The wins, or "points", are accumulated, held and displayed by each machine as points. At the end of a fixed period of time, a "stop" command is given, and all of the machines are disabled. The winner is the person having the highest accumulated score of win points obtained during the tournament period. In most tournaments the winner takes the entire pot.
Currently, tournaments must be run on specially set-up machines in a special area, and there must be at least one live host to run the game. Moreover, the games must be configured, tested and certified as being equal in every respect so that each player has an equal chance to win. Heretofore the machines used for such tournament were carefully selected, but ordinary casino-type slot machines which were enabled at a tournament "start" time and disabled at a tournament "end" time. The accumulated score of each gaming unit had to be visually acquired and recorded by the tournament host, an accounting of all scores accumulated and processed, and a winner orally announced or otherwise posted. The circumstance and machine requirements practically dictated that all machines be located in a single vicinity or room, and that they be dedicated to tournament play. This, of course, limits the opportunity of the general public to have access to the tournament, and makes the tournament costly to conduct on the part of the gaming establishment because it must provide hosts or monitors, dedicate certain machines to tournament use, and provide a suitable facility for the conduct of the tournament.
There is thus a need for a new system and apparatus using state-of-the-art technology to improve all aspects of the conduct of tournament play, e.g., make tournament play more available to all who would enjoy the play, simplify the establishment's monitoring requirements, and reduce overhead expense.